Harman Patil (Editor)

1985 in Northern Ireland

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Centuries:
  
20th 21st

Decades:
  
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Incumbents

  • Monarch - Elizabeth II
  • Events

  • 28 February - 1985 Newry mortar attack: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station in Corry Square at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
  • 3 July - Thousands of Loyalists demonstrate against a proposed Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) decision to re-route a church parade away from the 'Tunnel' (the Catholic Obins Street) area of Portadown.
  • 6 July - RUC decide to allow a church parade through the area, but impose a ban on similar marches on 12 and 13 July.
  • 7 July - Serious clashes occur in Portadown between Nationalist protesters and police as the parade of 2,500 Orangeman, passes through the Catholic Obins Street. Eight policemen are injured and three people arrested.
  • 12–13 July - Further rioting in Portadown, this time between Loyalists and the RUC, as the Orange Order and Royal Black Institution parades are re-routed from the 'Tunnel' area. 52 policemen are injured and 43 people arrested during these two days of rioting.
  • 15 November - Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, and the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement at Hillsborough Castle, County Down. Treasury Minister Ian Gow resigns in protest at the deal.
  • 23 November - A mass rally of Democratic Unionist and Ulster Unionist Party members against the Anglo-Irish Agreement is held outside Belfast City Hall under the slogan Ulster Says No.
  • Arts and literature

  • 24 October - Anne Devlin's play Ourselves Alone is performed for the first time.
  • Castleward Opera stages its first annual opera festival at Castle Ward, a National Trust house near Strangford in County Down, with a performance of Così fan tutte.
  • Gerry Anderson begins broadcasting on BBC Radio Foyle from Derry/Londonderry.
  • The last native speaker of Rathlin Island Irish dies.
  • Football

  • Irish League
  • Irish Cup
  • Derry City F.C. joins the League of Ireland, having been out of senior football since 1972.
  • Motorcycling

  • Robert Dunlop wins 250cc race at the Cookstown 100.
  • Rugby Union

  • 30 March - The Irish rugby team wins the Triple Crown and Five Nations Championship at Lansdowne Road. They beat England 13.
  • Snooker

  • 28 April - Dennis Taylor wins the Embassy World Snooker Championship.
  • Births

  • 1 January - Steven Davis, soccer player.
  • 1 February - Dean Shiels, soccer player.
  • 3 March - Sam Morrow, soccer player.
  • 29 May - Jeff Hughes, soccer player.
  • 15 June - Nadine Coyle, singer.
  • 29 June - Conall Murtagh, soccer player.
  • 14 October - Emmet Friars, soccer player.
  • 2 November - John Lowry-Corry, Viscount Corry.
  • 18 November - Jonny Harkness, soccer player.
  • References

    1985 in Northern Ireland Wikipedia